Murderous Revenge
by legolasfreak2
Summary: This is the sequel to "Rebecca." It is longer than forementioned story, and has a lot more action. Chapter seven is up, and six has had a few minor changes done, near the end. (Sorry for the unreasonably long wait)
1. The First Attack

Murderous Revenge   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, although I wished I owned Jesse. I do own Becca, as well as the assailants.  
  
Member Number Four  
  
Mark, Jesse and Rebecca were at the beach house playing Life. So far, Mark was winning.  
"Come on Uncle Jesse. Your turn."  
"OK, OK. No need to rush me!"  
Jesse spun a 4, which landed him on Becca's travel agent spot. He groaned.  
"Hehe! Come on Uncle Jesse! Pay up. That's $25,000 you owe me!"  
"You have to give her credit, she hasn't nagged you before when you landed on the other space." Mark commented.  
"OK, OK."  
Jesse sighed, and took $25,000 and handed it to Becca.  
"I have to say, you've made a drastic change in the past 2 months. You're as free-spirited and carefree as you were before the accident."  
Becca looked embarrassed. The phone rang, breaking the silence. Beck, who was closest, picked it up.  
"Hello?"  
On the phone, Steve responded.  
"Beck?"  
"Yeah. Do you want your dad?"  
"No. Just listen carefully, and tell him every word. You won't understand, but repeat everything."  
"Okay."  
"Tell my dad that the fourth member of the Crocs is on the loose. He's probably going to come to Community General, so dad should alert everyone. Did you get that?"  
"Got it Mr. Sloan. I'll tell your dad now."  
"Thanks Becca. Thanks more than you know. And one more thing."  
"Yeah?"  
"Call me Steve, please."  
"Okay. By, Steve."  
She hung up after telling Steve goodbye. She turned her wheelchair to face Mark and her uncle.  
"Well, as you probably guessed Dr. Sloan, that was your son. He told me to tell you, 'the fourth member of the Crocs is on the loose. He's probably going to come to Community General, so dad should alert everyone.' "  
Jesse looked at Mark.  
"The fourth member? Mark, we'd better be on alert."  
"Um, Dr. Sloan, what is the 'Crocs'?"  
Mark looked at Becca.  
"Oh, that's right. You weren't here. The Crocs were a notorious band of four brothers that plagued this town two years ago. One day two years ago, they robbed a local bank, and Steve was called to the scene. Once the police arrived, the Crocs got scared. While they started to run, Steve killed two of them, and arrested the third. The fourth had bolted, and the police couldn't find him. We haven't heard anything about the last member. Until today.  
"So, this last guy. Is he fierce?"  
"Is he? He once killed 15 men in 30 seconds with a gun that needed reloaded. This guy is one mean croc."  
"Well, Jess, should we be going to Community General now?"  
"I guess. Amanda's probably waiting for Rebecca."  
The three cleaned up Life, and made their way to the car. Jesse picked Becca up out of her chair, and put her in the front seat. Mark took the wheelchair, folded it up, and put it in the backseat. Jesse climbed into the driver's seat Mark sat in the Back seat, and Jesse drove off to Community General. When they got there, Mark took the wheelchair out, and Jesse went to Rebecca and gingerly took her out and put her in the chair. They locked the car, and took off for Community General. In the shadows of a car, someone who had been watching took off, silently laughing. In Community General, Mark, Jesse and Rebecca got out of the elevator. Rebecca saw Amanda, and made a beeline for her, almost knocking her down.  
"Whoa Beck. Watch out. We'll get going soon enough."  
Beck started giggling.  
"I'm sorry."  
Jesse walked up behind Rebecca.  
"Well, Amanda, she's excited, though, you have to give her credit."  
"Yeah. Well, let's go Becca."  
"Yeah!!"  
Amanda, smiling, walked down the hall, behind Becka. They got to a room, and Amanda opened it and walked in.  
"Hello James. How are you today?"  
Rebecca translated it into sign language, since he was deaf. The boy in the bed smiled and signed something in sign language, which Beck translated for Amanda.  
"Fine. Thanks."  
The three talked, or signed, for about the next 20 minutes. They didn't see the person sneaking up behind them. He raised a blunt object above Beck's head, and brought it down on her head. This sent her falling out of her chair, and rendered her unconscious.


	2. The Second Attack

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, except for Becca and the fourth croc.

Shots  
  
He went quietly over to Amanda, and knocked her out also. He looked at both of them, not even seeing James hit the button to call for help. Within less than a minute, Jesse came to the door, with Steve beside him. Steve had a gun in one hand, and was radioing for Sheryl with the radio, in the other hands. As Steve went over to the man and arrested him, Jesse saw Amanda on the floor, and went over to her. She was unconscious, but she was breathing. Suddenly, something hit his shoulder. He turned, and found James pointing desperately. Jesse followed James, and then gasped. He saw Becca on the floor. He got up and began to run over to her.  
"Beck!"  
He ran over, and felt for a pulse. He found one, and breathed a sigh of relief. He paged Mark, since Steve had gone down to the station to take the guy in. Mark entered, and saw Amanda.  
"What happened?" Mark asked.  
"I don't know. Steve and I were in the hall when James pushed the button, calling for help. Steve and I came in, and saw Amanda. I went to her, while Steve arrested the guy who attacked them, and radioed Sheryl. Apparently she met him outside. I didn't even know Beck was in here till James threw his fork at me...James."  
Jesse got up, and walked over to James. Jesse picked up a notebook, and wrote on it, "What did you see?" He handed it to James. He read it, and wrote down what he saw. When he finished, he handed it back to Jesse, who read it aloud to Mark.  
"Dr. Bentley and Rebecca came in and started talking to me. We talked for a while, and their backs were to the door. I saw a guy in black come behind them, and knocked Becca out. Then he went over to Dr. Bentley, and did the same thing. He pulled out a knife, and was about to kill Dr. Bentley, when I remembered the button I was supposed to push if I needed help. I pushed it, and Dr. Travis and the officer came in, and stopped the guy from killing Dr. Bentley and Rebecca. That's really it."  
Jesse stopped reading, since he had reached the end. He wrote, "Thanks" on the tab, and handed it back to James, who nodded.  
"So, James is really the person who saved Amanda and Beck's lives, isn't he?" Mark questioned.  
"Yeah. Mark, I-"  
Jesse suddenly stopped, because he heard a noise coming from Rebecca. He knelt down beside her, as she came to.  
"Where am I?"  
"Easy Beck. You're in Community General, in James McDonald's room. Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"  
"No. Except for the monster of a headache I have. Man!"  
Jesse picked her up, and put her back in her chair. She looked up at him.  
"Thanks."  
Becca looked around the small hospital room.  
"Where's Dr. Bentley? Is she okay?"  
"She's still out, but she's going to be fine."  
Rebecca saw Amanda, and then gave a little gasp.  
"Beck? What is it?"  
"I thought I just saw her move."  
Jesse got up and walked over to Amanda, while Rebecca wheeled herself over. Amanda opened her eyes, and tried to make out where she was.  
"It's okay Dr. Bentley. You're in James' room."  
Amanda just groaned.  
"Amanda? Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. My head feels like it was stepped on by an elephant."  
Jesse laughed slightly.  
"Well, actually, you were hit from behind with a book."  
"Man. Becca, how are you?" Amanda asked.  
"O.K. I think I was hit with the same book. My head feels like it was in a stampede."  
Amanda giggled slightly, and then put a hand to her head.  
"Oh. I shouldn't have done that. That was dumb."  
Jesse helped Amanda up, and they made their way out of the room. Jesse, Amanda and Rebecca made their way to the Sloan's beach house. When they got to the door, Amanda saw a piece of paper on it. She took it off and began to read it.  
"This iz only the begining of thingz. Mr. Sloan, yous and yous friendz had better watch yous backs. Yous nevers knows who's gonna to be hit next, or what'll happen tos thems. Be careful. Watch yous back."  
Amanda looked up at Jesse and said,  
"It's signed Croc #4.' "  
"I was wondering if he was behind you two getting attacked." Jesse told the two girls.  
"Well, I hope that Dr. Sloan's son catches the guy before he hurts any more of us."  
"Let's go inside and get supper started so Mark and Steve won't have to wait." Jesse stated.  
Jesse took the key out, unlocked the door, and the three of them went inside, and started supper. A few minutes later, the door rang, and Jesse answered it. It was Sheryl.  
"Well, hello Sheryl. To what do we owe this honor?"  
"Stop it Jesse. Steve wanted me to come over and give you these. It's the background information on the guy that he arrested at the hospital today. Oh, by the way, how are Amanda and your niece?" "Oh, they're fine. Do you want to come in? We've made dinner, and we're just waiting for Steve and Mark."  
"Are you sure supper's safe?"  
"Yes. Amanda and Beck helped too so don't worry."  
"Okay. Sounds great."  
Sheryl stepped inside, and they waited for the Sloan men. Meanwhile, Steve was at the hospital, waiting for his dad to finish. Finally, he saw his dad coming towards him. Mark spotted his son, who had gotten up to greet his father.  
"Steve," Mark started, "how ar-"  
Suddenly, Mark gasped, and started to topple over, and Steve saw something shining on his dad's leg.


	3. The Shots Heard Round the House

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, although I wished I owned Jesse. I do own Becca, as well as the assailants.

Chapter Three: The Shots Heard Round the House

Steve ran forward to catch his father.

"Dad!"

Steve caught his dad, and sat down in the hallway. It was then he saw the dagger in his dad's leg. He knew enough not to remove it. He made sure his dad was okay, and looked around to see if anyone was in the hallway. He didn't see anyone. He took out his cell phone, and called his house. Back at the Sloan's house, supper was ready and waiting.

"Where are they? They were supposed to be here half an hour ago." Amanda asked, pacing around the room. Then, the phone rang, and Rebecca picked it up.

"Hello? Sloan residence, Becca speaking."

After a pause, she handed the phone to Jesse.

"It's Steve. He wants to talk to you. He said it's urgent."

Jesse took the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jess. Listen carefully, and then get over to Community General as fast as you can. I was waiting for dad so we could go home together. I saw him coming down the hallway, then, suddenly he pitched forward. I caught him, and there's a dagger in his leg. I haven't removed it yet, but I can tell dad's in pain. You've got to get here now, Jess. I'm counting on you."

With that, Steve hung up, and then Jess did, slowly. He stared at the phone, and then looked up at the expecting faces of Amanda, his niece, and Sheryl.

"Uncle Jesse? What is it?"

Slowly, he formed the words.

"It's Mark. He's been hit."

"Oh no! Not him!"

"Uncle Jesse, we've got to get to Community General now."

Jesse stared at her, and then the four of them rushed to put dinner in the frig, and took off for CGH. When they got near, Jesse gave Beck his cell phone, and asked her to call Steve. Amanda, who was driving, told Beck Steve's cell number. Becca dialed, and Steve picked up.

"Hello?"  
"Mr. Sloan? It's Becca. We're near the hospital."

"Beck! Good. Now where, exactly?"

"We're pulling into the parking lot."

"Okay. We're on the second floor."

Once Amanda parked, Jesse got Beck out of the car and put her in her wheelchair. She handed the cell to her uncle so that she could steer herself. They followed Steve's directions, and got to the second floor. Amanda went and got some gauze other items to bandage Mark's leg with. They all sat down on the floor, and Jesse helped Beck out of her wheelchair. Steve kept his father's head up, Jesse knelt and put his hands on the hilt of the knife, after he put gloves on. Sheryl put her hands on Mark's leg, one on either side of the knife. Amanda was ready with a cloth. On "3", Jesse carefully pulled the dagger out and Amanda pressed the cloth onto Mark's leg. Amanda then lifted Mark's leg slightly so Beck could take the tape and wrap it around the cloth. Sheryl went to get a wheelchair, and they eased Mark into the chair. Jesse picked Beck up and put her into her chair, and the two of them followed their four friends. They pushed Mark into a room, and then parked the chair beside the bed. A nurse walked by, and stopped in front of the room.

"What are you do-. Oh. Dr. Travis. Is that Dr. Sloan?"

"Yes. He had an accident, but he's going to be okay. We'll be spending the night here."

"Okay. I hope the doctor feels better."

She left, and they helped Mark onto the bed. Steve stayed, and the rest of them went to the doctor's lounge to sleep. Sheryl had to leave to return to her home. Beck fell asleep in her wheelchair, Jesse and Amanda collapsed into chairs.

The next morning, Rebecca woke up early, and it took her a bit to figure out where she was. She saw her uncle and Dr. Bentley, and then remembered what happened last night. She left a note for her uncle, and made her way to Dr. Sloan's room. She saw about two nurses in the halls, but they paid her no mind. She found Dr. Sloan's door shut, so she quietly knocked. Steve answered.

"Come in."

Rebecca opened the door and wheeled in. She shut the door as Steve looked up.

"Oh. Hi Beck. Come on in."

She wheeled over to Dr. Sloan's bedside.

"Has he woken up yet?"

"Not yet. But I'm not giving up hope. Actually, I think he's asleep, not in a coma."

"Well, that's good."  
Beck paused and looked at Steve.

"Lieutenant," she began.

"Steve. I've told you to call me Steve. Please."

"Um, okay. Steve, take this as advice, not as an insult please."

He looked at her.

"What?"

"Well, you look like you haven't slept in 2 or 3 days. Steve, you need to go to bed."

Steve turned and looked at her. There were bags under his eyes, and he looked dog tired.

"Steve, you should really go to bed."

Steve sighed.

"Okay. I'll go to bed on one condition," he said.

"Sure. What?"

"Well, I've never really been on this side of the bed. Usually, I'm the one in the bed and dad's the one sitting in a chair beside the bed."

He sighed again, looked at his dad, and then back to Beck.

"I'll go to bed if you promise to wake me when he stirs. Do you promise?"

"Yeah. Steve, thanks. You need to sleep. Believe me."

Steve went over to the bed, plopped down, and fell fast asleep. Rebecca turned her gaze to Mark.

"Doc. Please wake up. Steve needs you. He hasn't slept since yesterday night. He stayed up all nigh with you and he's about to fall apart. I made him lay down, and he's out like a light. Please Doc Sloan. Please get better."

She put her head down on the bed, and started sobbing. Soon, she felt a hand on her head, smoothing her hair. She figured her uncle had come in, and it was him.

"Don't cry Rebecca," someone said.

Rebecca stopped crying.

_"That's not Uncle Jesse,"_ she thought. _"It sounds like Doc Sloan."_

She lifted her head up, and found herself looking at the awake Dr. Sloan.

"Hello Rebecca."

"Hey Doc. Um, could you excuse me?"

She went over to Steve and started shaking him.

"Hey, Steve! Hello! Wake up! Your dad's awake!"

She shook him more.

Rebecca, let him sleep." Mark said.

She turned around and looked at Mark.

"But he told me to wake him up when you woke up."

"Well, why don't you just let him sleep. He looks like he really needs it."

She thought.

"Okay. But when he wakes up eventually, I'm not taking the blame," she said as she wheeled back over to the bed.

"That's quite alright."

"Doc, where's your pager?"

"Why?"

"I want to page Uncle Jesse and Dr. Bentley."

"Oh. It's over there."

She went over and got the pager.

"Doc, how do you work it?"

Mark took the pager, and paged his two colleagues. Over in the doctor's lounge, Jesse woke to the sound of his pager. Amanda awoke a few seconds after him. They were both being paged to go to Mark's room. Jesse looked over to where Beck was last night, only she wasn't there.

Amanda. Becca's not here."

"Jesse, relax."

She picked up the note.

"She's fine," she continued "she just went out. Let's go to Mark's room. I'm sure Beck will be fine."

The two went to their friend's room, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice said.

They opened the door, and saw Rebecca at Mark's side, and Mark was awake.

"Mark! You're okay!" Jesse exclaimed.

"Yes."

Amanda looked around.

"Mark, where's Steve?"

Mark and Beck looked at each other and grinned.

"Turn around and look in the bed," Becca told then.

Jesse and Amanda turned, and saw Steve in bed. Amanda giggled quietly.

"Mark. He looks so cute!"

Steve stirred, and opened his eyes.

"What's all the noise?" Steve asked as he sat up.

Morning, Steve," Amanda said.

"Oh, hi Amanda." Steve answered groggily.

Steve looked over at his dad, and saw he was awake.

"Dad!" he exclaimed. "You're awake!"

He then turned to Rebecca.

"Beck. Why didn't you wake me up like you promised?" Steve said, a little disappointed.

"I tried. Honest I did. Your dad woke up fully, and told me to just let you sleep."

"I did Steve. You looked like you really needed to sleep," Mark told his son.

Steve rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up more. He looked at Beck.

"Beck, I'm sorry. I guess I should have asked, instead of accusing. I should know, especially since I'm a police officer."

"Steve, it's okay. You don't need to apologize."

"Mark, how do you feel?" Jesse inquired.

"I'm fine."

"Where'd Sheryl go?" Steve asked, as still tried to wake himself up more.

"She left last night. You must have really been out of it, or focused on Mark," Jesse said.

They continued to talk, until Jesse's shift started. The next day, mark was well enough to go home. When they got to the beach house, Steve took his father into Mark's room. Amanda, Jesse and Beck went into the kitchen to make dinner. In Mark's bedroom, father and son were talking.

"Dad, I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks Steve."

The two continued to char, as the other three were in the kitchen making spaghetti and meatballs.

"Jess, where is the spaghetti sauce?"

"Um... Oh. Check the cupboard above the sink, bottom shelf."

Amanda went after it, while Jesse grabbed Beck.

"Hey, Beck. I've got a job for you."

"Seriously? Cool. What is it?"

He directed her to the table, where a loaf of French bread was sitting. Beside it was a knife, a tub of butter, parsley, garlic powder and parmesan cheese.

"I thought you would say something like 'take out the trash.' Cool Uncle Jesse. Thanks."

She wheeled over, and started making the garlic bread. Meanwhile, Jesse and Amanda were making the spaghetti. When they finished, they all set the table. Jesse told Becca and Amanda to stay at the table, while he went to get his friend and his colleague. Inside the room where Mark and Steve where, the two were talking when Jesse knocked on the door.

"Come in," Steve said.

Jesse opened the door, and bowed.

"Dinner is served, sirs," Jesse said, putting on a British accent.

Steve looked at his dad, and then the two of them got up. They walked to the dinner table, following Jesse. When Steve saw the table, he gasped. There was a golden tablecloth on the table with a lace tablecloth overtop. There were candles on the table that cast a soft glow on the food. There was a basket of garlic bread, a pot of noodles, and a pot of spaghetti sauce. Amanda had on a nice dress, and Beck had on clacks and a nice shirt. She had let her hair down also. Steve and Mark were just staring. Amanda went over to Mark, and led him to the table. The others went to their seats and sat down (minus Rebecca who was already sitting down.) They blessed the food, and then dug in.

"This is really nice," Mark told his colleagues, son and Rebecca. "I really appreciate this."

"Well, dad, it's the least we could do to welcome you back home."

They continued to talk. Amanda then started to tell a story about Jesse.

"Well, it was a day where Jesse hadn't stopped or sat down in 36 hours."

"Why?"

Well, there had been a big accident, and Jesse was in the operating room for quite a while. It was the holidays, and the OR crew was a little understaffed. He had operated on 11 different people in the past 36 hours. He came out of the OR, and passed me in the hallway. His knees were shaky, and he looked as if he was ready to pass out. I went over to him, and led him to the lounge. I found some soup and stuck it in the microwave. I had him sit down at the table. I took the soup out of the microwave and set it down in front of him, gave him a spoon, and sat down myself. He stared at the soup, and then he fell face forward into it. His face landed in the hot soup, and that was enough to wake him up a bit more. His head popped up, and I had to hand him a towel to wipe his face off. It was so funny."

Everyone but Jesse started laughing.

"Uncle Jesse, is that true?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

That sent Becca into another fit of giggles.

"Cool. What kind of soup was it?" she asked.

Jesse sighed, and looked at his niece.

"Vegetable beef."

"Jess. You must have looked pretty funny."

"He did. He had veggie-beef broth dripping from his face, and all over his lab coat."

"Seriously Uncle J-" Beck began.

Without warning, bullets ripped through the windows. The gang got up and hit the floor. Rebecca couldn't get up, though. Steve spotted her, got up, and jogged to her. He pushed her down and onto the floor. The bullets came, glass flew everywhere, and the five stayed on the floor.


	4. Murder

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, although I wished I owned Jesse. I do own Becca, as well as the assailants.

Chapter Four: Murder

Soon, the bullets stopped. Steve immediately took charge of the situation.

"Dad? How are you?"

There was a cough, then,

"Fine Steve."

"Amanda?" Steve questioned.

"Here, Steve. I'm winded and scared, but OK."

"Jess?"

He was met with silence.

"Jess?" he asked again.

He was met with the same response. Steve got up, and started to go over to Jess. His dad grabbed Steve's hand before he got any further.

"Steve."

"Dad, I need to see Jess."

"Steve, stop. There's blood on your hand."

Steve looked at his hand.

"Were you hit?"

"Not that I know of."

Then, Steve looked up and said,

"Beck!"

Steve rushed over to Becca, and knelt beside her. He started looking everywhere to find the source of her blood. He put his hand on her shoulder to steady himself, and he felt a warm sticky substance. He pulled his hand back and looked at it. There was more blood on his hand than before. He looked over his shoulder, and said to Amanda,

"Amanda! Could you get a towel?"

Amanda got up, but Mark called her back.

"Amanda, better make that two or three towels."

She went off, and Steve turned to face his dad.

"Why..."

He paused, and spotted Jesse, who was lying facedown on the floor. Steve started to get up, but his dad had other ideas.

"No Steve. No. Stay with Rebecca. I've got Jesse. Stay with Becca. She needs you."

Steve sat back down. When Amanda came back with the towels, Steve pressed the towel onto Beck's shoulder. The three people that weren't hurt helped get the injured unconscious ones to the car. Mark and Amanda put Jesse in Becca's wheelchair. Amanda wheeled him to the door as Steve picked Beck up. Mark and Steve walked together, Mark keeping the cloth pressed to Becca's wound. They rushed Jesse and Becca to the car, and sped off for CGH. As they left, the man that stood behind the bushed smiled. Revenge was sweet. At CGH, Amanda pulled up to the front door. Steve got out along with his dad. Steve reached back into the car, and helped his dad put Jess into Rebecca's chair. He then reached back in a second time and got Beck. Amanda sped off to park, as father and son rushed uncle and niece inside. When they burst through the doors, all they saw was mayhem. Susan passed by, and Mark grabbed her.

"Susan, wait."

"Unless you're a doct-" she said while she turned. Once she saw Mark, she said,

"Oh, Dr. Sloan. Yes?"

"Are there any open ORs?"  
"Why?"  
Then she saw Beck and Jesse. She gasped.

"Dr. Travis? And is that his niece? What happened?"

"To make a long story short, they've both been shot, and we can't afford to stand around here idling like this."

"Sorry. Hold on and I'll see if there are any ORs open."

They stayed in the hallway, and less than a minute later, Susan came rushing back with a gurney.

"We've got two open. If you'll put her on here, please."

Steve placed Beck on the gurney, and backed away slowly. Susan started to call over her shoulder for some help, but Mark stopped her.

"Susan. I'll do it."

"You sure? You just got out of the hospital yourself."

"Yes. And if we stand around here talking, we won't be helping these two any. I'll go scrub up and change."

Mark rushed off, while a young intern came over to the group.

"Do you need help?"

"Um, sure," Susan said.

She gave the wheelchair to him.

"Take him to OR 3. They're waiting."

"Okay, miss."

He rushed off, just as Mark came back.

"Where's Jess?"

"On his way to the OR. Dr. Sloan, here," she said, as she handed Mark the handles to Rebecca's wheelchair.

"Hurry and good luck."

With that, Mark raced off to the OR to try and help Beck. Amanda and Steve went to sit in the waiting room. 10 minutes passed, and an announcement came over the P.A.

"Dr. Bentley, Dr. Bentley. You are needed in pathology. Dr. Bentley to pathology."

Amanda looked at Steve apologetically.

"Sorry Steve."

She got up and headed for pathology, leaving Steve alone in the waiting room. Soon, a couple came in and sat down, looking very worried. The lady looked over at Steve.

"Are you okay sir? Who are you waiting for?  
It took a minute for it to register that someone had said something to him.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"  
"Are you okay? Are you waiting for someone?" she responded kindly.

"Oh. Um, yeah. A friend of mine and his niece are here in surgery."

"What happened, if I might ask?"

"Sure. We were eating dinner, and someone decided to use our house as a target practice for bullets."

The lady gasped.

"Both my friend and his niece were hit," Steve concluded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were they hurt seriously?"

"Well, my friend's niece, Rebecca, was hit in the shoulder. She'll be fine. My friend, on the other hand, was hit in the mid-back. I don't know how he'll be."

Steve paused.

"What about you?"

"First of all, let me say I'm sorry. Then, my husband and I are waiting for our daughter to get out of surgery. She was in a car accident, and they don't know how she'll turn out."

"How old is your daughter?"

"She's 17. Why do you ask?"

"Oh. Rebecca, my friend's niece, is 16. This is the second time in three months she's been here because of an accident."

"What happened the first time?"

Steve took a breath, and then answered.

"She was in a car accident on her birthday. She was riding her new bike in the street, when a drunk came out from nowhere and hit her. She flew up and over the car, landing on the road with a **_thud_**. We found out later that the accident made her a paraplegic. And now this."

"I'm sorry Mr...."

"Oh, sorry. Sloan. Lieutenant Steve Sloan with the LAPD."

As they shook hands, she said,

"Ooh. A police officer. How nice. I'm Madeline Miller. That's my husband Harold."

The man didn't look up.

"Forgive him please. He's very close to Cassie, our daughter."

Steve smiled.

"I know how that is. My dad and I are really close."

"Steve."

At the mention of his name, he looked up. His dad was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hi dad. Is Rebecca out?"

"Yes. She made it through surgery and she'll be fine. I need to wash and change, but you can go up if you want. She's in Room 324."

"Thanks dad."

Mark turned and left. Steve reached to get his jacket, when Mrs. Miller said,

"Your dad's a doctor here?"

"Yeah. Dr. Mark Sloan. Personally, I think he's the best this hospital has."

She smiled.

"Anyway, I'm sorry but I have to go."

He grabbed his jacket, and with a final wave to the Millers, left to go upstairs. When he got to Becca's room, he opened the door and went in. She was in the bed, with a bandage around her shoulder, and the rest of her arm was in a sling. The only noise in the room was that of the heart monitor. Steve sat down beside the young teenager.

"Oh, Beck. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Steve continued to apologize, and then he just started talking to her. After a while, his dad came to the door.

"Steve."

"Hmm? Oh, Dad. Yeah?"

"Jesse's out of surgery. You can go see him if you want."

"But what about Becca?"

"I'll stay," a familiar voice said from outside the door. Sheryl walked into the room, car keys in hand.

"I went over to your house, and saw that the windows were all shot out. I realized what had happened, and I came over here as soon as I could. You go to Jesse. I'll stay here with Beck."

"Thanks Sheryl," Steve said, as he got up.

He took one last look at Rebecca and then got up. He followed his dad to Jesse's room. Once there, Mark left his son alone for time alone with his friend. Steve walked over to Jesse's bed, and sat in the chair next to it. At first, Steve just watched his friend. Then, he talked.

"Come on Jess. Come on. We need you. You can't leave us like this."

Steve continued to talk to his friend until he fell asleep. The next morning, Mark was back in full swing. He was making his rounds and thought he'd stop by Jesse's room. He opened the door, and then the sight he saw made him smile. Steve was asleep on his friend's bed. Mark thought his son looked so cute like that. He checked Jesse's vital signs, everything looked good. He was getting ready to leave when he heard noises coming from the bed. He turned around and saw Steve moving.

"Mmmmh." Steve murmured.

Steve looked up at his dad's smiling face.

"Oh. Hi dad. You need somethin'?" Steve said sleepily.

"Oh, no. Just checking on Jesse. Steve, shouldn't you be getting down to the station?"

"Huh?"

"Sheryl called a few minutes ago, saying that you weren't there yet. She wondered if something had happened to you. The chief wants to speak with you."

He turned back to his son, who had fallen back asleep. Mark sighed, left the room, and came back a few seconds with a cup of ice courtesy of the ice machine. He looked at the ice, and then to his son.

"Sorry Steve, but you need to get to work."

He picked a cube up and went over to his son. Mark pulled back the collar on Steve's shirt, and dropped the ice cube down. Steve bolted awake, trying desperately to remove the ice cube. He finally got it out, and then stared at his dad.

"Dad! Why'd you do that?"

Mark was trying not to laugh.

"Sorry Steve, but you should get down to the station."

Mark stifled another laugh as Steve stared at his father.

"Ok, ok. But you could have woken me up another way."

Steve grabbed his jacket and car keys, and headed out the door. He got to his truck, unlocked the door and then climbed in. He started the engine, and then dialed the station. When they answered, he responded with,

"Lieutenant Sloan. Give me the chief, please."

"Right away sir," he heard on the other end.

He was soon connected with the chief.

"Sloan, good to hear from you. Where are you?"

"In my car on the way there."

"No, seriously. Where are you?"

"That is where I am."

"Oh. Well, get down here now. Something's come up."

By the tone of his voice, Steve knew something was up.

"Chief, what's wrong?"

The chief sighed, and then said,

"Well, a couple called her about a half hour ago. They said they had found a body of a young woman on the beach."

Steve gasped slightly.

"Do you have a description of her?" Steve asked, a little afraid of what the answer would be.

"Um, yeah. Where is it?"

Steve could hear papers rustling.

"Ah-ha. Here it is. Um, female, blonde, mid-twenties, that's all we have."

Steve thought to himself, "_Didn't dad said Susan hadn't come in today?"_

"I'm in the parking lot now, so I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okay, Sloan."

They hung up, and Steve parked his truck. He made his way into the station. He walked past the desk of a colleague, John. John stopped him.

"Steve, the chief's waiting for you."

"Yeah. I was heading there."

"Oh. Okay. Go on in then."

Steve walked to the chief's door. He was waiting for him, and Sheryl was seated in the chair next to the chief.

"Sloan. Good to see you. Come in."

"Morning Steve. Get enough sleep?" Sheryl asked with a smirk.

Steve walked in and sat down.

"As a matter of fact, yes, but don't get off the topic. Now, chief. Do you have a picture or something of the girl that was found?"

"Um, nope. Sorry Steve."

He thought, then asked the chief,

"Can I use the phone?"  
"Sure. Go ahead."

Steve picked up the phone and dialed Amanda.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Amanda, it's Steve."

"Oh, hey Steve. What's up?"

"I've got a question. But first, let me put you on speakerphone."

Steve put her on, and then continued.

"I'm at the station right now, so the chief's beside me. Anyway, where are you right now?"

"In pathology doing autopsies."

"Great. Just where we need you. Listen. Is there a body there of a young female?"  
"Hold on, let me see."

Steve and the chief could hear her lifting sheets. Then she gasped.

"I take it you found her," Steve said.

Amanda gasped, and had to force the words out.

"Um, yeah."

She took a breath, and then began again.

"Steve, it's Susan. Well, now we know why she didn't come into work today."

"Amanda, it's Sheryl. Are you SURE that it's your co-worker?"

"Yes. I'd recognize her anywhere."

The chief looked at Steve, and then said,

"Dr? This is the chief. Could you give us the shortened version of the autopsy? Just the basic essentials."

"Basically Amanda, how'd she die? In lamens terms too, please."

"O.K. Um....let's see. Ah ha. Here it is. Victim died of a single gunshot wound to the upper back, the bullet passed through the heart and out her chest. She died instantly."

The chief and Steve sat in silence. Then, they heard a sound from Amanda.

"Amanda? You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Then, what is it?"

"I was turning her over, and I found a note pinned to her coat she is still in. It's addressed to you Steve."  
Steve looked at the chief, who nodded.

"Amanda. Put on a clean pair of gloves, so we can fingerprint it later, and then read the note to us."

"Okay, Steve."

The two heard rustling as she took off her bloodied gloves and put on cleaner ones.

"Okay," she said as she opened the letter.

"Mr. Sloan," she began, stumbling.

"'You thought that I'd go after you's measly friends and you pa.' Sorry Steve. His spelling is atrocious. 'Well, you was wrong. I's changed my method. You don't know who I's gonna kill or hurt badly next. It ain't gonna be you cuz I wants yous to suffer, like I's suffered.' It's signed 'Croc 4.' "

There was an awkward silence, and then Steve spoke.

"Thanks Amanda."

"Sure thing Steve."

They hung up. Steve told his chief,

"Well, this adds and interesting twist on things."

Back at CGH, Amanda was looking for her recorder. She knew she had had it by her, but it wasn't there anymore. She grabbed her car keys and headed to her car to get her other one. When she stepped off of the elevator on the doctor's level parking and headed for her car, she didn't notice the snarling face watching her. Amanda reached her car, and unlocked the door. She found what she was looking for, and shut the door, locking it afterwards. She was about halfway to the elevator when she was hit from behind. She collapsed onto the ground. A person came up behind her, smiling, picked her up and carried her to an awaiting truck. They drove till they found what they were looking for. They took Amanda out of the truck and after "prepping" her, took her over to the pool. They went up the steps, and dropped her in. After making sure she wouldn't wake up and go away, they left the pool area and sped off. About 20 minutes later, a car pulled into the driveway, and a middle aged woman got out. When she couldn't get in the front door, she came around back and in doing so, passed the pool. Something caught her eye, and she glanced in the pool. She then screamed.


	5. Swimming for Clues

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, although I wished I owned Jesse. I do own Becca, as well as the assailants.

Chapter Five: Swimming for Clues

At CGH, Mark was in Rebecca's room, checking her vitals. He was looking at some of the equipment readings, when he heard a voice behind him.

"What's wrong Doc?"

He knew of only one person that called him that, and he turned around. When he looked in the bed, he saw the smiling face of Rebecca.

"Hi Doc."

"Hello yourself Becca. How are you feeling?"

"OK. Where's Uncle Jesse?"

"Still in his room. I think he's still unconscious, though."

"Oh. Can I go see him anyway?"

Mark thought.

"Are you up to it?"

"Yeah. If you can find a wheelchair, you can put me in there and bring my IV with us."

He smiled, and brought her chair over. He lifted her out of the bed and into her chair. He then wheeled her to her uncle's room. Mark opened the door, and pushed her in. He parked her beside Jesse's bed, and went over to shut the door. While his back was still turned, he heard Beck make a small gasp, then she said the name of her uncle. Mark turned and saw Jesse coming to. He went to Jess's bedside, as Jesse awoke. Jesse looked at the two people beside him, and produced a weak smile.

"Hey guys."

Mark and Becca smiled.

"Hi Uncle Jesse. I guess it's my turn to be on this side of the bed, huh?"  
Jesse smiled, and then nodded.

"Where are Steve and Amanda?" Jesse asked.

"Well, Steve's down at the station, and Amanda, I don't really know where she is," Mark said.

At the police station, Steve was leaving to go to CGH so he could look at Susan. He was driving down a residential street, when he saw a man in the road flagging him down. Steve stopped, and rolled the window down. The man was out of breath.

"Sir, please, backyard, woman in pool, help."

Steve pulled the car to the side of the road and got out. He followed the man to the backyard, where he saw a woman on the deck, crying. He went over to her.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?"

"Sir," the man said "the woman is still in the pool. That's the woman that lives here, my neighbor."

Steve got up, and turned around. He spotted the body in the water, after climbing the steps, and something about her looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. He took off his jacket, socks and shoes, and dove in. Underwater, he found the woman was held down by ropes attached to hooks that were at the bottom of the pool. Steve went back up for air, fished out his pocket knife, and dove under again. They woman had awaken, and was starting to panic.

Amanda slowly woke up, and realized that there was water all around her. She was being held down by something, but she couldn't tell what. She opened her mouth to scream, but water came flooding into her mouth instead. She tried to scream and fight whatever was holding her down, but more and more water continued to flow into her mouth. Her body slowly went limp, and she lost consciousness.

When Steve realized the woman had stopped fighting, he began to cut the ropes. He had to go up for air another time, but he soon had her free. He popped up above the surface, and went over to the woman's body. He rolled it over, and saw Amanda. He turned around to the man behind him on the deck, and told him to call 911.

"The phones aren't working inside."

"Use my cell. It's in my right jacket pocket."

The man dialed as Steve managed to lift Amanda's limp body out of the pool. He laid her on the deck, and began CPR. Steve looked over at the man calling 911, and told him,

"Tell them to get a hold of my father, Dr. Mark Sloan, at Community General Hospital. tell him that he needs to be in that ambulance."

Steve went back to doing CPR. At CGH, Mark was still in Jesse's room with Becca. Then, over the P.A. came

"Dr. Sloan to the ambulance ramp, Dr. Sloan to the ambulance ramp."

Mark looked at his two patients.

"Sorry guys. I've got to go."

"That's okay Mark. Go on." Jesse added.

Mark got up and went to the ambulance ramp, where the EMTs were just getting on. They saw him, and motioned for him to get in. On the way, he was told why he was in the ambulance. When they got to the house, the EMTs jumped out, and Mark followed. They were led around back by a woman. When they got back there, they saw Steve on the deck giving CPR to a woman. They rushed over to him, and he let them through. The EMTs immediately recognized her, as did Mark. He went over to help, as Steve stepped out of the way. He sat down and watched. The couple made their way over to him, and sat on either side of Steve.

"Will you be okay sir?"

Steve just stared.

"Sir?"

Steve snapped out of his stupor.

"Huh? Wha-? Oh. Sorry."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"I'm sorry we didn't have proper introductions. My name is John McDonald. This is my neighbor, Susan Jackson."

"My name's Steve Sloan. The white-haired doctor you saw, he's my dad."

"Oh. Are you a doctor?" the woman asked.

"No. I'm an officer with the LAPD."

Just as he said that, police cars pulled up. An officer got out and went over to Steve and the couple.

"Lieutenant?"

Steve looked up.

"Ah. We thought we'd find you here. Now, what's the rundown, and who are these people?"

"There was a woman found in this woman's pool, tied to hooks at the bottom. Her neighbor, this man here, came over when she screamed. They flagged me down, and I went in and got the woman. I started CPR, but with no luck."

Just then the EMTs came rushing by, Mark following. The EMTs hopped into the ambulance and put Amanda in. Mark quickly hopped into the ambulance with them, after he told Steve to meet him at the hospital. The ambulance doors shut, and it sped away. Steve got up, and motioned for John and Susan to follow him. Steve opened to doors of his truck, and the three of them climbed in. He shut the door and was about to go, when the police officer came to Steve's door.

"Lieutenant, what about their statements?" he said, pointing to John and Susan.

"I'll take care of that. I'm going to the hospital, and after that, I'll take them down to the station."

The police officer nodded, and let Steve go. Steve drove to CGH and parked the car next to where his dad's was. The three of them went inside, and up to Jesse's room. Jess and Beck were still there, talking. Jesse looked up as Steve walked in, John and Susan in tow.

"Hey Steve. Who are they?"

Steve walked over and sat down on Jesse's bed.

"Steve, what is it?" Jesse questioned.

"We found Amanda."

"Oh, where?"

Steve sighed.

"In a pool."

"What was she doing there?"

"Jess, let me finish, please."  
"Man. Sorry Steve. Don't get so temperamental."

"I'm sorry Jess. I just haven't had enough sleep and I'm confused with this whole case."

"That's okay Steve."

"Could you finish your story please, Lieutenant?"

Steve looked at Beck.

"Sorry. Um...Amanda. I was in my car on my way here, when a man stopped me. I walked over to the pool he was pointing at. All I could see at the time was a woman, floating face down in the pool. I threw my jacket to the side, and shed my shoes & socks. I dove in, and found that the woman was tied to hooks that were at the bottom of pool. I said the woman because I didn't know at the time that it was Amanda. Anyway, once I freed her, I rolled her over, and realized she was Amanda. I lifted her out of the pool, while this man called 911. I started CPR, but couldn't revive her. Once the EMTs arrived, with dad, they took her and sped off for the hospital. I took these two to my car, and we came here. Amanda's in surgery, and I have no clue on how she is."

"Wow. Sorry Steve. I had no idea."

"Lieutenant, who are the people beside you?" Beck asked.

"These people? This lady owns the house where Amanda was found. She found Amanda in her pool, and screamed. Her screams brought her neighbor, this man, over. He ran to the road, and flagged me down. We're all waiting for news of Amanda."

Just then, Mark walked in, followed by Cheryl. They looked up at the sound of footsteps.

"Steve, Cheryl's here to take the two people down to the station for their statements."

"Okay."

The man and woman left with Cheryl, and Steve turned to his dad.

"Dad? Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She'll be fine. We had to pump her stomach, since there was so much water in her system. She'll hurt, but she'll be fine."

"Can we go see her Doc?" Beck asked.

Mark turned, gloves still on his hands.

"Sure, if Steve will help you. I need to clean up."

Mark turned, and walked out of the room. He went into the OR, and peeled off his gloves. He washed up, thinking out loud at the same time.

"All of this is getting overwhelming."

Mark ran his hand through his hair.

"All of this is so confusing. I really hope Steve figures it out soon!"

Mark didn't notice the man watching his every move.

Meanwhile, Steve, Beck and Jess were just arriving at Amanda's door. They walked in (or rolled). Steve was pushing Becca, and a nurse was pushing Jesse. Once they were in Amanda's room, the nurse left. Becca looked at Amanda, and saw Amanda was awake.

"Dr. Bentley!" Beck said, as she slowly pushed herself over, wincing a bit.

Amanda smiled, and managed to push herself up a bit.

"Hi Beck, Jess, Steve," she said weakly.

Jesse smiled.

"So, Amanda, how are you?"

"OK, I guess. What happened?"

As Steve recalled what he knew, Becca looked around. Once Steve finished, she looked at him and asked,

"Where's your dad?"

Steve thought.

"I don't know. He said he'd clean up and be right back."

Meanwhile, Mark was finishing cleaning up. He didn't see the figure behind him raise a gun. The assailant smiled, and brought the gun down on Mark's head. Mark collapsed onto the floor, and the assailant raised the gun, which had a silencer on the end, again. He aimed at the doctor, and fired.


	6. Hot Situation

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, although I wished I owned Jesse. I do own Becca, as well as the assailants.

Chapter Six: Hot Situation

Steve was beginning to get worried. His dad should have been back half an hour ago. He looked to his companions.

"Look. Dad might be in trouble. Beck, is your arm well enough to steer your chair?"

"It's well enough. I'll be able to deal with the pain."

"Good. Jess, how about you?"

"We'll need to detach the IVs, but concerning me—I'm up to it."  
"OK. Amanda?"

"I'll stay here. I'd love to help, but I just woke up and I don't want to chance it."

"Okay. Jesse, Becca, follow me."

The three left the room, and shut the door behind them. Once in the hallway, Steve turned to his two companions.

"Here," he said as he handed them each a walkie-talkie. "This way you can keep in touch if you find anything. I'll take this way, Jesse, take the left, Becca, the right. Meet back here in half an hour if we haven't found anything."

The three went their ways, looking everywhere for the doctor. Jesse happened to pass the OR. He looked through the door, and saw a rather tall figure leaning over something. He glanced at the figure's hand, and saw a gun. Quickly, Jesse backed up, and called Steve and Becca via walkie-talkie.

"Steve, Becca, don't say anything. Just listen. I'm by the OR. I think I've found Mark. I see a rather large male inside, with a gun in his hands. Hurry up, please!"

As soon as Steve and Becca heard this, they took off for the OR. Once they got there, they found Jesse sitting outside, waiting anxiously for their arrival. Steve took his gun, raised it, and told Jess and Becca to back up. He then raised a leg, and brought it down on the door, opening it. The noise made the assailant spin around.

"Freeze! Police! Drop your weapon!" Steve shouted as he entered the room. The assailant dropped the weapon, and Steve managed to cuff him. Steve looked over his shoulder, towards the door.

"Jesse, Becca, get in here now!"

The two wheeled in, and saw Mark on the floor. He had several gunshot wounds, none that looked too serious, thankfully. Jesse and Becca managed to edge themselves out of their chairs and onto the floor. Jesse took his pager, and paged the nurse's station, while Becca tried to bandage Mark's wounds. A nurse entered, saw Mark, and backed up, saying that she was going to get a stretcher. While she was gone, Steve left with the perpetrator. The nurse came back, accompanied by a male nurse, and the two got Mark onto the stretcher. She left with Mark, while the male helped Jess and Becca back into their chairs. The two wheeled back to Amanda, and told her everything. The three sat in Amanda's room, waiting for news on Mark. Finally, Katherine, a nurse, came in, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

"Well, how is he?" Jesse asked.

"He'll be okay. He took one bullet to the upper arm. It might hurt a lot, but he should be able to deal with it. He'll wear a cast for a while, but other than that, he'll be his old self."

Jesse and Becca made their way to Mark's room, where they found him asleep. They were about to leave when Steve walked in.

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine. Katherine said that he took a bullet to the upper arm. He's going to hurt a lot, but he'll be fine," Jesse told his friend.

"Then I guess it's a good thing that you found him when you did!" Steve told the young doctor.

Steve stayed with his dad, while Jesse and Becca made their way back to Amanda's room, where they spent the night. The next morning, Amanda was well enough to get out of bed, and Jesse was walking again, but slowly. They all made their way over to Mark's room, where they found the old doctor standing up, ready to take on the world.

Steve looked up as the trio entered.

"I've got to leave for work. Will you guys be okay?"

"Yes Steve. I think we're all feeling much better. Go on to the station. We'll be fine here. But if anything does happen, we'll be sure to call you."

Steve smiled, and left. The four made their way down to the parking garage. Mark's arm was in a cast, which was in a sling. Katherine let him go since she knew he could take care of himself. Although his arm still hurt, it didn't bother him enough to stay in the hospital. Since all three of the doctors were injured, they weren't on duty, so they decided to go out for lunch. Once in the garage, Amanda realized she had forgotten something upstairs. She walked over to the door, but found it was locked. She turned back to the group, fear on her face.

"What's wrong Amanda?" Mark asked.

"The door's locked. It's never supposed to be locked. Something's up."

Becca had been sitting patiently, when she suddenly noticed something on the ceiling.

"Doc, could you come over here?"

Mark made his way over to the young teen.

"What is it?"

"There's smoke coming from the ceiling."

At the word "smoke," Jesse and Amanda hurried over to the two figures.

"Mark, I don't like the look of this," Jesse said warily.

Just then, thick smoke clouds came pouring down on the group. Amanda became lightheaded and fainted. Mark spotted her and knelt on the ground beside his coworker.

"She'll be fine, as long as we can get out of here. She only fainted from the amount of smoke."

The smoke got thicker, and it became very hard for all of them to breathe. Upstairs in CGH, the fire alarms were blaring. Everyone was pouring out of the hospital. Katherine remembered that Doc Sloan and the others were in the car garage. When the fire department got there, the hospital had been emptied. Katherine pulled one of the fire fighters aside, and told them about Mark and the others. After he left, she got on the phone and called Steve. Down in the car garage, Mark couldn't see Amanda and Jesse anymore. He was completely separated from them, and his only way of staying in touch was to talk. They had to keep their comments short, because of all the smoke around them. Without warning, the beams of the ceiling caught on fire, while Mark and the others were completely unaware below. Suddenly, one of the beams broke off, and hurtled towards the group.


	7. The End of All Things

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, although I wished I owned Jesse. I do own Becca, as well as the assailants.

Chapter Seven: The End of All Things

Steve was in the chief's office when the call came in. He picked up the line in the chief's office, and listened. Katherine told him everything, and his face went as white as a sheet. He hung up, and turned to the chief.

"Chief, I need to leave, now. I don't have time to explain why."

The chief could tell something was wrong just by looking at Steve's face.

"Okay. Go," the chief told him.

Steve didn't need to hear anything else. He grabbed his jacket, and car keys, and bolted out of the office.

At CGH, the firemen were working to douse the fire, as well as break down the door to the car garage. Inside, Jesse knelt beside the collapsed form of Becca, when he heard a cracking sound above him. He looked above him, but was unable to see anything. The cracking got louder, and he realized what it must be.

"Mark, Amanda, get out of the way!!"

Mark pulled Amanda out of the way, and Jesse pulled Becca to the side as his back started screaming from pain. Just as a fiery beam fell to the floor right where Amanda had been laying. Outside, the fire fighters were making headway. A few minutes later, the door fell to their blasts. Once inside, the firemen turned on their lights and began to search for the trapped victims.

Mark was beside his coworker, when he thought he heard a voice calling. He quieted Jesse and Becca.

"Listen you two."

They heard a faint voice calling,

"Hello in there! Can anyone hear me? Hello in there!"

"Someone's calling us Mark," Jesse said.

Jesse stood up, took a breath, and called out.

"We're over here! Help!" Jesse started to cough and couldn't continue. Becca managed to take a slight breath, and continued the call,

"We've got someone that's injured! Help!"

"We hear you! Keep talking so we can find you!"

Jesse kept calling out, and within minutes the firemen reached the trapped victims. One immediately knelt down beside Amanda, and placed an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. Another fireman radioed for an ambulance, as the others tried to make their way out. Mark, Becca, and Jesse were all handed oxygen masks. One of the firemen carried Amanda, while Mark, Jesse, and Becca made it out on their own. Jesse exited pushing Becca in her wheelchair. As the group made it out, the ambulance pulled up. The EMTs jumped out, and placed Becca on a stretcher.

"Dad! Dad!"

Mark spun around to be met by his son.

"Steve! Over here!"

Steve pushed his way through, and finally got to his father.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Yes, just a little startled."

One of the EMTs came up to the two, and addressed them.

"I am sorry sir, but we need to take the doctor in for testing just to make sure that there isn't any smoke in his system."

Mark turned back to his son.

"I've got to go. I'll be fine."

With that statement, Mark turned back to the ambulance, and climbed in. The ambulance soon sped away, leaving Steve to watch the departing vehicle. Seconds later, his radio crackled to life. A hushed voice was emitted from the object on his belt.

"Steve, it's Sheryl. Don't say a thing, just listen. I think we may have found the guy you want. From where you are, walk a block south. You should be able to see me."

Steve took off, walking briskly. He reached Sheryl minutes after her call.

"Steve, look north of you, do you see the car?"  
"Yes, what about it?"

"I've got men surrounding it, hidden of course. They say that there is a man inside with a video camera, taping what is going on. He matches the description to a "T" of the fourth member of the Crocs. Do you want to take this arrest?"

Steve didn't even have to think about it for a minute.

"Certainly."

Steve drew his gun, and put on a bulletproof jacket. He moved forward, closely followed by Sheryl. Within minutes the pair reached the car. Steve went to the driver's side, and leveled the gun at the driver's head.

"Lieutenant Steve Sloan, LAPD. Step out of the car, hands above your head!"

The man looked at Steve, and reached for the door. He opened the door with one hand. The other hand was at his side. Sheryl questioned this peculiar sight, until she noticed the gun in the man's hand.

"Steve, look out!" Sheryl shouted just as the man raised the gun. Steve dove out of the way, as Sheryl raised her gun and fired at the man's arm that was holding the gun. Steve got up with a pair of handcuffs in hand. He cuffed the man, while reading him his Miranda Rights. The two partners directed the man into a police car. Sheryl climbed in, while Steve left for the hospital.

When Steve arrived at the hospital, he acquired Becca's room number, and made his way to the room of the young teenager. Once there, he knocked, and entered.

"Ah, Steve. Where were you?" Mark asked his son.

"I've got some good news, dad. But first, is Amanda going to be okay?

"She'll be fine. She inhaled some smoke, but not a dangerous amount."

"Good. Well, my good news. Jesse, Dad, we've got him. We don't have to worry anymore about being injured by the Croc member."

"What do you mean Steve?" Jesse asked.

"After the ambulance with you all left for here, Sheryl radioed me to say that they had found a male that fit the description of the fourth croc member. We advanced on his car, arrested him, and Sheryl took him down to the station for questioning."

"So, you're saying that we don't have to be worried about getting injured by him anymore," said a voice from the bed.

Jesse turned to his coworker, smiling.

"Welcome back Amanda. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. So, is it true?"  
"Yes, Amanda. Everything will be fine now."

Amanda smiled.

"Okay, you need your rest. We'll leave you alone," Jesse told her.

The four left, and went into the hallway.

Two weeks later

"Your honor. We the jury find the defendant, Michael Stevenson, guilty on all charges."

The courtroom erupted into cheers. One group, sitting in the first row, was especially happy. Steve and Jesse were patting each other on the backs, as Amanda and Becca were hugging each other. Mark was standing, looking pleased.

After the hearing, the five left the courtroom, heading for the car.

"Well, he's finally behind bars. Good work Steve," Mark congratulated his son.

"Thanks, dad."

The five headed to the Sloan's beach house. Once there, they all got out of the car, and made their way into the house. Steve collapsed onto a couch.

"It's finally over. I'm so glad."

Becca wheeled over to a closet, removed a game, placed it on her lap, and wheeled back over to Jesse.

"So, Uncle Jesse, do you want to finish the game of Life that we were in the middle of when Steve called? Or do you want to start an entirely new game?"

Jesse laughed, along with Mark. Jesse took the game, went over to the table, and sat down. He looked at the others.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Do you want to play or not?"

The other four made their way over to the table to begin a game of Life.

"This game has no shootings, car crashes, or robberies, so it can't be real life," Steve pointed out as he made his way to the table.

Everyone erupted into laughter, a perfect ending for such a trying case for all of them.

The End


End file.
